A parade of VIPs walked into the arena at the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens building – now known as the Ryerson Mattamy Athletic Centre, waving flags with big smiles to the crowd all standing and cheering with them. These VIPs are our every day heroes in the city. They are the young, brave patients and their families who would tell you that Toronto’s SickKids Hospital is their battleground and their playing field. The VIPs are also the people who are the donors, private and corporate, who continuously give to one of the world’s leading children’s health centres. The VIPs are also the people we trust when we need the best available resources when our kids are not well — the doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers. “It takes a village” as they say. So, we cheer all these VIPs as they entered the arena as The SickKids Foundation embarks on a new SickKids VS Limits $1.3 billion fundraising campaign to build a new hospital. The public announcement also came with news that $570 million has is already secured through corporate partners, community organizations, events and private donors.

When The Hospital For Sick Children (SickKids) was first built in 1949 at 555 University Avenue, it was already the largest hospital in the world of its kind. There were approximately 87,000 donors who contributed to the capital campaign. The hospital expanded 1993 with the Atrium building at 170 Elizabeth Street.

As the advancements in paediatric health and technology continue to evolve it’s undeniable that the structure itself needs a significant overhaul in order for SickKids to continue to be a world-leader in paediatric health. If you’ve recently had to visit the hospital you could see for your own eyes. They are doing the best they can in the space that they have.

“Many of the world’s top paediatric health experts work right here at The Hospital for Sick Children, but our facilities and infrastructure don’t match the level of expertise of our people. Twenty-first century medicine shouldn’t be held back by a 1949 building. Our facility is becoming technologically and functionally obsolete. Our vision for the hospital of the future includes designs features for optimal family centred care, state-of-the-art technology and best-in-class patient safety and infection control.” ~ Dr Mike Apkon, President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

We’ve had our share of necessary visits to SickKids from when we were little to having kids of our own and it’s always been there for us. Always. And now we’ll be there for them. We’re all in. We are all connected to this hospital whether it be through family or friends and we’re fortunate to have it within reach.

Born and raised in Toronto, this city girl covers the latest in arts, culture, food, and style. She also shares interesting stories about Toronto's people, places, and things. Follow @theculturepearl on Instagram and Twitter.